Day 4. Started working at the site at woodland trails
Nice day in the swamp. A little wet but it wasn’t to hot
Working hard in the woodlands
Getting our field methods down and battling blackberry thorns were our toughest objectives today.
Water and blackberry and great times!
The first day of field work was a success! It was tough work, but very rewarding. It’s great to be surrounded by good company too!
Into the woods!
We started our first day of field work at the Woodlands Conservancy with a quick introduction to field methods and plants of the area. This is such a beautiful place!
wet wild and research
Today was the first day of actual field work at Woodlands Conservatory. Spent 7 hours tracking through knee high water identifing various tree species.
Successful first day!
We had a great time on our first day of transect surveys. A little wet and prickly but everyone handled it like champs 🙂
Starting off our first day of work in Woodlands Conservancy!
Dr. Huggins is helping us identify our woody plant specie before we get started on our transects.
Ants Farming Aphids
All kinds of wonderful wildlife can be found on an easy trek down the paths of Woodlands a Trail and Park. From the Cardinals flittering from side to side to the killer dragonflies to the armadillos and ant farmers. There is always something exciting and fun to see, hear, or experience.
But one example we spied today is a small colony of ants farming a clutch aphids. The small black specks are apids beeing tended to by the numerous (and much larger) ants. Akin to a farmer with a herd of cattle, these ants are “milking” these aphids on the newest stem of an older elderberry (total height = 3m tall, with this clump of insects at about 1.2m above ground).
